Talk:Piper Chapman/@comment-68.226.98.199-20160801023119
Honestly, I wonder how many people hate Piper solely because they felt like they identified with her in the first episode, but where sorely disappointed as things progressed. (Which is frankly silly, because I am sure very few of us viewers are actually WASPs, so she was NEVER meant to be identifiable with.) I mean I love Piper. She is a horrible person, but a good character. Piper is supposed to be a superficial character. She was raised by a mother who denied her husband's affair, because it wasn't an acceptable thing to mention and by a father, who stopped viewing her as "Daddy's Little Girl" when she went against his expectations. I mean, we see from the first season, her love is very superficial. She only seems to be with Alex from the beginning, because Alex offers danger and intrigue. It is Piper's way of rebelling, while not going to far. It is the glamorous life of a drug dealer's girlfriend - all the reward, none of the risk. As soon as Alex stops giving her what she needs, she bails - even though Alex's mother just died. She is even with Larry, because he is safe. I doubt she actually loved him. I doubt he loved her either, for that matter. Therefore, Piper never had a support system. Her mom was always the victim, her father stuck his head in the sand, Polly is just straight up vicious, Larry made it about him, etc. All she had was her grandmother as an adult support and Cal to keep her grounded. She went into a place she didn't know how to behave. And as someone below as stated, Piper never had power before. So it is reasonable to see why she would cheat on Larry with Alex; though it isn't condonable/ She was there. She was a warm body to Piper, who needed someone. It is in Piper's DNA to feel the need to be accepted and loved, even if she hated the person. And Larry made it easy, by lying to her and making her hardships about him. (Which I suppose is why they were perfect for each other - they both believe they are always the victim.) It isn't condonable, but it is understandable for her character. By the end of season 2, Piper has realized what was clear to us in season one - she has no one. Alex betrayed her to get out, Larry cheated on her with Polly, her grandmother died, Cal is not all that dependable. Therefore, going into season 3, a darker Piper emmeraged. She finally gained power as she started her business, and she becomes more vicious to protect the small bit of control she finally has over her life. She shows that with what she did to Stella. Again, it is depolorable from our perspective, but it makes her a good character, because she is not the typical WASP. She doesn't let her pass define her, but at the same time, it does. As for what happens in season 4, you see her become a monster for the sake of what little power she has. And then something comes to knock her down and humble her in the only way that can probably humber her. I am actually interested to see if Piper will continue to grow as a character, but for the better. I am sure there will be some backwards sliding where we all roll my eyes and think what an entitled shit again, but that is what makes her a good character, yet a horrible person.